Ashes to Ashes
by head4heart
Summary: A remake of what happened at the Battle of Hogwarts, from the perspective of Lupin and Tonks. Major spoilers, and a little heartache...
1. 1: A Warning from the Castle

Chapter One: A Warning from the Castle

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters in the story_

Remus Lupin sat on the couch in the living room, stroking Andromeda's grey cat who sat stiffly on his lap. He watched as his wife fed their child unintelligible mush, crooning to him softly. A savory aroma was drifting from the kitchen, along with the trademark sound of Tonks's mother humming happily to herself. The fire in the heath was burning happily, giving the room a warm, comforting feel, yet Remus Lupin was completely alert.

Tonks, whose hair was a purple shade to match her robes, noticed his troubled expression. "Remus, I'm sure they're alright. The Order would have sent us a message if they weren't."

Lupin stood up, his hands clenched into fists, "Last time I heard, they were in _Hogsmeade_, Dora! The entire town's on high alert! They're bound to be caught!"

"Aberforth might have found them," Tonks said hopefully, "Then they'll be safe."

"Yes, one man against an entire army of Death Eaters, that's safe, is it?" He sat back down, "I'm sorry, Dora. I'm just…"

"It's fine, don't apologize. Here, would you mind holding Teddy for a minute, my arms are getting sore." She handed him the gurgling child, whose hair was now an emerald green. "I think he'll grow up to be a fine wizard, don't you?"

"If he's not a werewolf, that is."

"If that's the case, it still won't stop him from being a fine wizard," she smiled, "I mean, look at you, far better than I am and not even an Auror!"

His expression lifted a little, "I'm not sure about-"

All of a sudden, a silver form fell through the roof and onto the floor in front of them. The patronus-goat opened its mouth, and, in Aberforth's gruff voice, announced, "Hogwarts is in danger, we need your help, alert the rest of the Order!" Lupin stood up immediately, handing the baby to Tonks, and took his wand out of his robes.

"I'll send a patronus to Shell Cottage," Lupin began.

"I can do that," said Tonks quickly, "You get to Hogwarts and I'll meet you there soon."

Lupin stopped. "No Dora, I don't want you to get hurt. Stay here and look after Teddy."

"What?!" she looked hurt, betrayed, "After all I've done for the Order, you want me to stay out of trouble?"

"I would never forgive myself if something happened to you." Lupin murmured.

"And I could never forgive myself if something happened to _you_ while I sat here twiddling my thumbs!" Tonks retaliated.

Teddy started to cry. Lupin looked down at his son. "He needs you more than he needs me. Please, Dora." She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off.

"Would you rather he be an orphan than without a father?! Now, send word to the rest of the Order. Tell them I'll meet them at the Hog's Head." He grabbed Tonks's hand and held it tight, "Look after yourself, Dora. And if anything happens to me, tell Teddy that his father died fighting!" He let go of her hand and gave his wife a sad smile. Then, with a resounding crack, Lupin disapparated.

The room was quiet. Teddy had stopped crying and was now hiccupping in his mother's arms. Andromeda's humming had stopped. Tonks blinked away the tears in her eyes and lifted her wand, "_E-Expecto patronum_…" a few wisps appeared, but nothing of form. _Get a hold of yourself, Nymphadora._ "_Expecto patronum!_" A wolf burst from her wand and ran off into the night. The sight of it made Tonks' stomach lurch. _He _will_ live, he _will_ come home_.

**

When Lupin arrived at the Hog's Head, he found it more crowded and noisy than he had ever seen it. Aberforth, who looked completely exhausted, was running back and forth between ferrying younger students to safety and dealing with the increasing amount of witches and wizards arriving, all eager to fight. "Need some help there, Aberforth?" he asked.

"I'm fine," he grunted, "If you could just glance out that window every now and again and make sure none of those ruddy Death Eaters are poking around here. But I'm pretty sure they're all up at the castle."

"What's happening up there?"

"You-Know-Who's preparing a full-frontal attack. All the students are being evacuated, except those who are over-age and willing to fight. Did you get my message alright?"

"Yes, we did. Tonks alerted the rest of the Order, too."

"Speaking of which, where is that lovely wedded wife of yours?"

Lupin felt a pang of guilt, "She's back at the house looking after Teddy."

"Pity, I think she would've done herself proud in a fight like this. She is an Auror after all." Lupin's feeling of guilt grew.

There was a sudden crack and Kingsley appeared. "What's the trouble, Remus?" he asked. "Hogwarts is under attack from Voldemort." Lupin answered.

"Is Harry in there?" Kingsley asked.

"Yes, he and his two friends turned up about an hour ago." Aberforth said.

There were several loud cracks from behind them, and the entire Weasley family appeared. Aberforth raised his eyes to the heavens, "Not more!"

"How can we help?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

"Is Harry alright?" asked Mr. Weasley anxiously.

"Yes, yes, just get over there." Aberforth hurried them over to the portrait of Ariana, Lupin and Kingsley following close behind. They climbed through and followed the long staircase which led them to the Room of the Requirement. There was much bustling as they entered the room; it was already filled with many people. Mrs. Weasley embraced Ginny, Fred and George all at once and Bill gave contemptuous looks to some of the male students, who were gazing adoringly at Fleur.

A few minutes later, a black-haired, bespectacled boy came into view, and cheers were heard throughout the room. Lupin pushed his way towards him and met him on the foot of the stairs, "Harry, what's happening?" he asked.

"Voldemort's on his way, they're barricading the school – Snape's run for it," Harry looked around, "What are you doing here? How did you know?" As Fred explained to Harry, Lupin looked around. Most of the people in the room were students, almost all of them Harry's age. A few other members of the Order of the Phoenix were here as well. All of them looked ready to fight. Lupin's stomach lurched, _they're so young_. Most of them were just over-age. There was a surge as the crowd started to head towards the foot of the stairs, eager for a fight. Mrs. Weasley was arguing with her daughter, her voice rising above the incessant noise in the room. "I won't permit it! The boys, yes, but you, you've got to go home!" As Lupin watched their argument, the feeling of guilt in his stomach became stronger. _You have to stay here, you have to be protected, you can't fight with the rest of us_. He was reminded of the look on his wife's face, that look of hurt and betrayal…

There was a thump and Percy Weasley – it was obvious who it was from the red hair and horn-rimmed glasses – came crashing in from the tunnel. The room was filled with an awkward silence, only broken when Fleur asked Lupin, particularly loudly, "So – 'ow eez leetle Teddy?" It took a few moments for Lupin's mind to get itself together again.

"I – oh yes – he's fine! Yes, Tonks is with him – at her mother's." There was that twinge of guilt again. _She'll never forgive me after this_, he thought.


	2. 2: So You Thought

Chapter Two: So You Thought

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters_

The sound of the clock ticking was almost driving her to madness. It had been just over half an hour since Remus had left. Her mother now sat opposite her in an armchair reading a book. She had not spoken to her daughter since the argument. Tonks had expected maybe a few kind, sympathetic words from her, reassurance that her husband would return to her, but there had been none. _Not that she'd been particularly fond of Remus anyway_, she thought, and her contempt towards her mother grew.

Teddy was awake again. He waved his chubby hands through the air, catching strands of his mother's hair, which had turned from purple to black within the half hour. His large eyes, which searched his mother's face, as though looking for the answer to her grief, reminded her so much of Remus's. _If anything happens to me, tell Teddy that his father died fighting!_ She sighed, _and tell him that his mother did nothing to save him?_ She couldn't bear it; she couldn't bear the thought of it. If Remus was to die tonight, she would die with him.

She stood up and walked over to her mother's armchair. "I'm going to put Teddy to bed and then turn in for the night, okay?" Her mother made no response. Tonks turned and walked up the stairs to the bedroom she shared with her husband and son. "Goodnight." she called behind her. She thought she heard a muffled response, but she knew it was just the wind outside. Once inside the bedroom, she closed the door. Placing Teddy carefully inside his crib, she wrapped his blankets around him tightly so that he wouldn't get cold during the night, and drew the curtains on the window. Then, quietly, she opened the draw of the desk, taking out a thick piece of parchment, a quill and a bottle of ink. She uncapped the ink bottle, knocking it over accidentally and then siphoning the contents back into the bottle with her wand, dipped her quill and wrote:

_Teddy Remus Lupin_

_17 Mulgrove St., Upper Flagley_

_Yorkshire_

_Teddy,_

_Courage is not sacrificing yourself. Courage is not sacrificing the ones you love. Courage is sacrificing both yourself and the ones you love, and still fighting until the very end. Know that, no matter what other people say, your parents died fighting bravely and heroically for the greater good. And know that, no matter who you are, what you are or what you will become, we will always be proud of you. Never give up hope. _

_N. Tonks and R. Lupin._

She finished the letter and rolled up the parchment. Looking around the room, her gaze fell upon the photos on the dresser. Her and Lupin on their wedding day, surrounded by the rest of the Order of the Phoenix (_Guess we won't be able to call you Tonks anymore)_,in the hospital with a newborn Teddy in her arms, Lupin smiling awkwardly at the camera beside her (_"I think he looks like you, Dora."_

"_No, he has your eyes, Remus.")_,the entire Order of the Phoenix smiling at the camera, just before Harry's evacuation from Privet Drive, when Mad-Eye was killed…

Carefully, she took the picture of her, Lupin and the newborn Teddy out of its frame and placed it carefully inside the rolled up parchment. She placed the letter in Teddy's crib and put a finger into one of his tiny, open hands. His fist closed tightly around it, as if pleading for her not to go. She pulled her finger from his grip and stood up, blinking away tears and fastening her travelling cloak around her neck. She took one last look at the room she shared with her husband and son. _Mother won't find out until morning, when she finds the letter. If I survive, I'll be back by then with Remus. I'll burn the letter and she'll never know._ She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and disapparated.

**

Remus walked swiftly through the corridors of the castle, followed by the group of fighters that he had been ordered to take down to the grounds. Most of them were from the gang of teenagers calling themselves Dumbledore's Army and were no older than seventeen. They were too eager, like boys going off to war, unaware of the unprecedented danger that would follow. Among them were Dean, Seamus and Neville, students he remembered teaching in their third year, while he was Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.

The corridor through which they were walking was surprisingly empty, and their footsteps seemed too loud to be safe. Shadows appeared at the other end of the corridor; two Death Eaters who were talking loudly as they approached the group. "Get down!" Lupin whispered to the rest of the group. He pressed his back against the wall and whispered instructions to Neville behind him, "Get out of here, all of you. Go quickly and silently, don't let them see you." Neville passed the instructions to the rest of the group as the Death Eaters walked towards them. Seamus lifted his wand and mouthed "_Stupe-"_

"No!" Lupin whispered, knocking Seamus's wand out of his hand. "You'll give away our position."

The two Death Eaters, who were now recognizable as Yaxley and Macnair, had stopped not two metres away from Lupin. A low woman's voice came from the other end of the corridor. Bellatrix Lestrange had blocked their only exit. The only way to survive now was to fight. Bellatrix laughed – a cold, cruel sound, "Remus Lupin? Here, at the castle? He should be home with his wife, that disgusting little niece of mine!" Lupin remembered Tonks's words all those months ago, "S_he wants me quite as much as she wants Harry, Remus, she tried very hard to kill me_."

His feeling of guilt was almost completely lost. He was so glad that she was safe right now.


	3. 3: Anxiety

Chapter Three: Anxiety

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters_

Tonks entered the crowded Hog's Head, meeting a surprised Aberforth. "I thought Remus said you were at home, minding Teddy."

"Never mind that, what's happening here?" As Aberforth explained, Tonks's eyes searched the room. "What's that?" she asked, pointing to the picture of Ariana, which gave way to the tunnel in the Room of Requirement.

"That's your entrance to Hogwarts. Now go, quick, before the fighting's all over!"

She climbed through the tunnel, arriving in the room, which was empty except for Ginny. Aberforth emerged from the tunnel a few seconds later, walking past Tonks and Ginny and climbing the staircase leading to the rest of the castle, brandishing his wand.

A few minutes after Aberforth had left, an elderly woman wearing a moth-eaten hat emerged from the tunnel, muttering to herself. "Better seal the entrance, Aberforth wouldn't want any o' those Death Eater bandits coming in this way, would he?" She stepped inside and the tunnel sealed itself neatly. A few seconds later, Harry, Ron and Hermione appeared at the top of the stairs. "Ah Potter," cried Augusta Longbottom, "You can tell us what's going on."

"Is everyone okay?" Tonks and Ginny asked in unison.

"'S far as we know." answered Harry. _I wonder if he's seen Lupin_, Tonks thought. _He _has_ to be alright._

Augusta Longbottom left hurriedly to join his son and Harry turned to Tonks. "I thought you were supposed to be with Teddy at your mother's?"

"I couldn't stand not knowing – she'll look after him – have you seen Remus?" she said hurriedly.

"He was planning to lead a group of fighters into the grounds-"

That was all she needed to hear. She sped off up the staircase and took a passage to the grounds.

**

Bellatrix Lestrange was looking directly at him. "Yes, here in the castle," Yaxley was saying, "But I heard his wife's still at her mother's house, looking after the baby."

"We'll be visiting there next," Bellatrix said, "After we've disposed of her husband."

"_Stupefy!_" Lupin yelled. The spell missed Bellatrix's foot by inches. At once, three wands turned on Lupin, three voices yelling, "_Avada kedavra!_"

"_Protego!_" yelled Neville, and the three green streaks of light bounced off the shield.

"Good one, boy," Lupin whispered, "Now get out of here!"  
"You two get the boys, I'll take the werewolf!" shouted Bellatrix. "_Crucio!_"

The spell flew past Lupin's ear, as he raised his wand to counter attack, "_Impedimenta!_" Bellatrix flew off her feet.

"You'll pay for that! _Avada kedavra!_" Lupin dodged the spell and raised his wand again. A voice came from behind him, "_Expelliarmus!_" Bellatrix's wand flew out of her hand, and she hissed angrily. "Run, Remus!" shouted Aberforth. "_Petrificus Totalus!_" Macnair's body became stiff and he fell over backwards.

"_Levicorpus!_" shouted Lupin, pointing his wand at Yaxley, whose feet fell from beneath him and became fixed to the ceiling. _That was always Padfoot's favourite._

He followed Aberforth down a staircase and through a series of long corridors. There were shouts up ahead, and Lupin knew they were nearing the Room of Requirement once again. The walls were blackened, as if a horrendous fire had swept through, and the burnt corpse of a Death Eater lay in his path. All of a sudden, there was a loud explosion. The floor rocked beneath them and dust fell from the ceiling. A heart-wrenching scream came from around the corner. Percy Weasley, his arms around the lifeless body of his brother, Fred…

Harry emerged from the rubble, a cut on his cheek bleeding copiously. A cry came from the other end of the passageway; the Death Eater, Dolohov, pointed his wand at Harry and shouted, "_Stupefy!_"

Other curses rang out and flashes of light bounced through the room. Lupin stepped through the rubble and faced Dolohov, his wand hand itching. Behind him, a small ginger-haired girl appeared. "Ginny!" Lupin cried, dodging a curse from Dolohov. "Ginny, look out!" Another three Death Eaters had appeared behind her.

"_Diffindo!_" she cried, and there was a flash of blood and a Death Eater screamed.

"Lupin, Tonks is upstairs, she's looking for you! _Stupefy!_" A Death Eater keeled over in mid-curse, landing at Ginny's feet.

Lupin's stomach lurched, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure!"

"Are you sure it was her and not an imposter?!"  
"_Yes!_"

Lupin was losing his head, he needed to concentrate, but, _Dora, she has to be alright, I couldn't bear it if something happened to her…_


	4. 4: Meeting

Chapter Four: Meeting

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters_

Tonks looked out the window to the crowd of fighters below. The Death Eaters, it had seemed, had breached the battlements and were entering the castle. "_Reducto!_" she cried, aiming her wand at a chunk of the castle battlements. A large piece of rubble fell into a crowd of Death Eaters. More footsteps came down the corridor, and Ginny Weasley's figure emerged. "Tonks!" she cried, but the noise was lost when an explosion erupted from behind her. Out of the dust came Aberforth, leading a small group of students. "Have you seen Remus?" Tonks asked him.

"He was dueling Dolohov, haven't seen him since!" shouted Aberforth back.

"Tonks, Tonks, he's alright, he's-" shouted Ginny.

But she had sped down the hall after Aberforth.

"Where did you see him?" she asked him.

"Back near the Room of Requirement-" Tonks turned to go.

"But be careful! I hear Bellatrix Lestrange is around, and she's looking for you."

Tonks nodded and sped down the hall. She reached a corner and stopped, flattening herself against the wall. Her aunt's low voice could be heard from around the corner.

_Please don't come, please don't come, I almost failed on Stealth and Tracking…_

She knew she was bound to do something that would give her position away. Quickly, she tapped the back of her hand with her wand and felt the oozing feeling of invisibility wash over her as she watched her body slowly disappear.

"Rudolpho, you were with Dolohov, weren't you?" her aunt's voice was vicious. Tonks gave a start at the name. _Remus.._

"He was fighting that werewolf, Lupin, wasn't he?"

"Yes, milady."

"Is the werewolf dead?" Bellatrix asked. There was a pause, then an answer.

"Yes, milady, very much so."

Tonks's feet gave way beneath her, and she crashed into a suit of armor, sending pieces of metal clanging through the corridor. Her eyes were blinded with tears.

_Not dead, not dead, he can't be, no!_

"Good, I couldn't stand the thought of him and my niece, disgrace upon the family she is!" Bellatrix rounded the corner, "_Stupefy!_" She looked around.

"I know you're here, little Nymphadora, come out and say hello to Auntie Bella… _Crucio!_" Tonks gasped and brought her knees to her chest, the fiery pain spreading through her.

"_Expelliarmus!_" cried a new voice, and the pain stopped. Luna Lovegood faced Bellatrix, her expression unflinching.

"You dare," whispered Bellatrix, "You dare to disarm me, girlie?"

But Luna was looking behind her, "Tonks, run! Lupin's okay!" Bellatrix turned around and flung curses wildly at the corridor behind her.

"I'll get you! You and your scummy werewolf husband!" she screamed.

Nothing mattered to Tonks now, now that she knew that Lupin was alive. The relief spurred through her like adrenalin as she ran through the corridors leading to the Room of Requirement. She stopped, panting hard and feeling slightly sick, when she saw the remains of the corridor. The bodies, the scorched Death Eater… None of them looked familiar.

A sound further up the corridor drew her attention. Someone was coming towards her, running, shouting curses at whoever was following them…

She had found him at last.


	5. 5: Exeunt

Chapter Five: Exeunt

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters_

Lupin picked up his wand from where it had fallen and aimed a curse at Dolohov's head. He reached the blackened corridor that hid the Room of Requirement, hoping that the passageway to Aberforth's bar would still be open. If he could just lose Dolohov, find Dora, and then they could get out…

"_Impedimenta!_" Dolohov cried, and Lupin was lifted off his feet and came crashing into the wall behind him. Picking himself up, struggling for breath, Lupin managed a counter-attack. "_Levicorpus!_" Dolohov dodged the attack and screamed out another.

"_Crucio!_"

"_Protego!_" yelled an invisible voice from behind him. The Unforgivable curse bounced off the shield, smashing the wall behind Dolohov's head.

Dolohov pointed in the direction of the voice and yelled, "_Homenum revelio!_"

Tonks's shaking form appeared, her wand hand already raised, "_Stupefy!_"

"_Avada kedavra!_" The curse hit the floor about a metre from her foot, taking a large chunk out of the floorboards. Tonks ran to meet her husband, "Remus, I'm so glad-"

"You shouldn't have come, Dora." Remus whispered, though he knew in his heart he was glad that she was there.

Dolohov laughed, "Ah, what a happy little family reunion we have here," he said in a sneering voice, "Well, I've got something that will make it even better…"

Both Lupin and Tonks had their wands ready to utter counter-curses and protective shields, and then everything went black.

"What is that?" muttered Tonks.

"Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, I think, Weasley product." Lupin responded.

Tonks sighed disapprovingly, sounding almost motherly, "If I ever get my hands on those two again-"

There was a series of loud cracks and, although they could not see, Lupin and Tonks knew they were surrounded.

"This disapparition barriers must have been broken-" murmured Tonks.

"Which means we can get out of here." finished Lupin.

"_Expelliarmus!_" cried an anonymous member of the circle surrounding them. Tonks's wand flew out of her hand. "I-I can't-"

"I'll take you with me!" he yelled. No sooner had he said this, than their captors started a rally of jinxes.

"_Crucio!_" Lupin fell down, gasping in pain, his wand clattering out of his hand. Tonks picked up her husband's wand, and, pointing it at his torturer, cried, "_Diffindo!_"

There was a cry of pain and an awful splattering sound, and Lupin sat up, breathless. Tonks handed him back his wand, and they stood up together. Lupin's hands were shaking so hard that Tonks could hardly keep hold of them. Squeezing them tight, she said, "Remember, Destination," they chanted them together, "Determination, Deliber-" Tonks fell limply into her husband's arms. _No!_ Remus's mind screamed. He checked frantically for a pulse. _Yes, still there, just stunned._ He steadied himself. _Remember, Destination, Determination, Deliber-_

"_Avada kedavra!_" Lupin instinctively jerked away from the spell, but nonetheless, it hit its target. Tonks's body jerked, and then became still and lifeless.

"No, no!" Lupin scrambled for a pulse once again, but the beats were becoming slower, feebler. He knelt down beside his wife, tears wiping the dust off her face.

_He needs you more than he needs me! Would you rather he be an orphan than fatherless?!_ Those words meant nothing to him now.

"_Avada kedavra!_" The oncoming curse felt less like a death sentence and more like mercy as Remus Lupin fell soundlessly, lifelessly next to the body of his wife.

The Death Eaters left and the darkness lifted so that, to the eye of a casual onlooker, the two looked just as if they were sleeping…


	6. 6: Dust to Dust

Chapter Six: Dust to Dust

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters._

Teddy Remus Lupin sat in Herbology, waiting patiently for the rest of his classmates to file out of the classroom. Once it was empty, he walked cautiously up to his teacher, a question etched up on his face, "Professor Longbottom," he asked.

Neville looked up, "Yes, Teddy?"

"Professor, what were my parents like?"

Neville looked a little flustered, "Oh, um, well… Your father was my Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, when I was in my third year. Taught me how to get rid of Boggarts, he did."

"Really?!"

"Yeah, he was probably the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher I ever had."

"Wow…"

"And your mother, well, she was an Auror, amazing, she was."

"Really, an Auror?!"

"Yeah, back then when they still had them, not that you need them nowadays of course…"

Neville's next class had already started filing into the classroom.

"Thanks, Professor Longbottom!" Teddy cried and edged his way out of the classroom, past the clusters of seventh years that were seating themselves, ready for their next class.

_Thank God I'm not in seventh year_, Teddy thought, _or I'd have classes during lunch too._ He climbed the stairs to the tower where his owl, Egalus, who had been a present from his grandmother, sat perched on a windowsill. Tied to its leg was a small piece of parchment. Teddy unrolled it:

_Teddy,_

_I'll meet you outside the Forbidden Forest at about twelve o'clock. Don't worry, you've made the right decision._

_H.J. Potter_

Teddy stuffed the note into the pocket of his robes and looked at his watch, which told him that he was already ten minutes late. He clambered down the stairs and found his way to the portrait hole. "Satsuma." he said, and the fat lady smiled and swung back to reveal the Gryffindor common room.

His dormitory was empty of everyone except him, to Teddy's relief. He opened the draw of his dresser and pulled out the black stone, cracked in the middle, that lay there. He turned it over three times in his hands and saw two distinct, yet indistinct figures emerge before him. "Mum, Dad…" he began. The figures matched perfectly those in the photo that lay on his desk. "I'm – I'm going to miss you."

"We will too." said the man.

"We're very proud of you." said the woman.

"We always will be, son."

Teddy clenched the Resurrection Stone. "G-Goodbye." The figures smiled, then vanished as Teddy dropped the stone into his pocket. Every time he said goodbye, it felt as if his heart was being wrenched out. The feeling had gotten worse with each time, which was almost every day since he had found the stone. But now it was time to give it back.

Teddy made his way across the grounds towards the Forbidden Forest. He walked through the cemetery, erected in memory of those whose lives had been lost during the Battle of Hogwarts. He stopped at the two graves that he knew best. _N.B. Tonks and R.J. Lupin. Proud defenders of Hogwarts and the greater good._

"Ashes to ashes," Teddy whispered.

"Dust to dust." whispered a voice behind him. Harry stepped forward to stand beside Teddy. "Losing the ones that you love is hard." He said, looking at the graves in front of him. Teddy swallowed, "But saying goodbye is harder." He pulled the Resurrection Stone out of the pocket of his robes and gave it to Harry. "Can you put it somewhere safe? Where no-one will find it?"

"I will." Harry said solemnly. "You've made hard decision, Teddy, but a good one." Teddy nodded.

"And I'm sure your parents are proud of you."

"They are," he said, "I know they are."

­

A/N: What do you think? Well, if you do think something, could you please review and tell me your thoughts. But, please, no flaming, or I shall employ my meanest friend to flame you back. If there's something you think I should change or that you disagree with, please let me know.

I hope you've enjoyed this, it was blood, sweat and tears, plus a lot of research for me to write. - Harrleigh


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